Oklahoma Musicians

Jazz history

Ernie Fields, Sr.

The Oklahoma Historical Society identifies Ernie Fields as a bandleader, pianist, arranger, and Oklahoma-based musician born in Texas and raised in Taft, Oklahoma, later leading the Royal Entertainers and Ernie Fields Orchestra from Tulsa. OHS and Oklahoma Eagle sources document his Tulsa-centered orchestra and family legacy.

County navigation follows places named in the source records. A city crossing county boundaries can link to more than one county; this does not establish an exact historical location, birthplace or current residence.

Oklahoma connection

OHS documents Taft upbringing and Tulsa band leadership; independent music-history sources connect him to the Oklahoma jazz and big-band tradition.

Musical work and relationships

Bandleader; pianist; arranger; trombonist in the Hall catalog; Ernie Fields Orchestra; father of Ernie Fields Jr.; mentor/context for Clarence Dixon.

Hall of Fame account

The Hall catalog lists Ernie Fields Sr. as a trombonist and band leader inducted in 1989.

Evidence and remaining questions

The Hall role and OHS biography emphasize different instruments; preserve both. Exact lifespan requires a dedicated obituary or OHS record.

Sources

  1. www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry
  2. www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry
  3. theokeagle.com/2021/12/12/from-tulsa-to-broadway-and-back/
  4. www.okjazz.org/inductees/